GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989

I’ve tried - and rated - over 600 drams over the last five years, and this is the best. The nose is filled with dark fruit and cinnamon. Coffee and toffee. Chestnuts roasting over a fire. A welcoming, lived-in wood cabin in winter. Palate: Dense, rich fig and honey. Spiced raisin cake. Cherry and plum with an almost savory quality. Deep oak and a touch of leather and tobacco. There’s surprisingly a delicious whisper of herbal, almost grassy malt that has held on through the years - and it manifests as some crusty bread made with molasses. Black pepper, with nutmeg and ginger - which perhaps lends this a bit of bitterness. And some char. Wish there was a bit more. Still, just remarkably complex. And it’s got the perfect mouthfeel: viscous but not cloying. I appreciate the fullness of the ABV. In the finish, there’s dusty cocoa and syrup and berries and a slight acidity that I’m grateful does not descent into balsamic vinegar territory like many old highly-sherried Scotches. At no point does the proof overwhelm or does ethanol make a distracting presence. But it coats the palate which leads to a generously long finish that leaves no question that this is a proper Sherry bomb. Outstanding stuff. 9.6/10

Perhaps the most viscous sherry bomb I have tasted, leaps beyond many single casks and grandeurs. Nose: Raisins, Espresso, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Figs, Cloves, Chili, Treacle, Dark Chocolate, Coal, Hazlenuts, Crystalized Ginger, Christmas Cakes, Pineapples, Molasses, Maple Syrup Palate: Strawberries, Raspberries, Salted Caramel, Dates, Plums, Mocha, Mince Pies, Gingerbread, Orange Peels, Christmas Cakes, Luxardo Cherries Finish: Brown Sugar, Dates, Root Beer, Cherry Cola, Milk Chocolate, Almonds, Nutmeg, Nutella, Black Tea, Molasses, Demarara Syrup, Sultanas, Dates, Raisins

I am a fan of scotch that is artfully finished in sherry casks. This whisky is now my bench mark for “artfully finished”. Oh so balanced, truly a magnificent dram!!

Absolutely amazing. A touch spicy and then incredibly smooth. A true pleasure to sip.